


Unforgettable

by ShedidTHAT



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019), Sanditon - Jane Austen
Genre: A romantic interlude, F/M, kinda angsty but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-27 02:20:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20940695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShedidTHAT/pseuds/ShedidTHAT
Summary: Charlotte considers the end of her trip to Sanditon and what she must forget.





	Unforgettable

The summer was eclipsing but its warmth still managed to cling to the evening, almost as if to spite the quick harsh wind that had that raced through Sanditon that day. The sun was setting, leaving the sky hued orange and pink, as Charlotte stepped outside onto the terrace that faced the gardens, putting the dancing and merriment behind her. 

She had tried, desperately tried with all her might, to focus on the enjoyment that surrounded her. She wanted to soak up whatever she could of her last remaining days in Sanditon, holding every last breath of salty air and every little memory tight within her forever. Summer was ending and soon Charlotte would be driven back home to the farm, to her siblings, and away from this other magical world. 

The sun stretched out over the treetops, its light painted everything in a dreamy golden hue. Despite the merriment surrounding her, the smiles and dancing did nothing to improve her mood. She felt a heavy weight in her chest, holding her down and making everything seem so impossible. If she were honest, she knew her upcoming departure from Sanditon was not completely to blame for this feeling. She was miserable about her departure, but this was something more. 

If Lady Susan were here she would say it was a matter of the heart, but Charlotte couldn’t bear thinking of that. 

Of thinking of him. 

It was childish, she knew, but she had avoided him as much as possible tonight. She danced with anyone else who asked, conversed and took turns about the room with Mary and Georgiana, and downed glasses of punch to avoid saying a word to him when he entered conversations. 

That was how she ended up on the terrace. She needed a moment, a moment to breathe and to think without her chest tightening and her breath escaping her. His looks were piercing and warm all at once - pinning her to the spot and sending pools of warmth throughout her body; from the tip of her head to … well, everywhere. 

Charlotte shook her head, focusing her attention back to the pretty golden skies and the gentle breeze that danced through her hair. She walked slowly to the balustrade, away from the candle light behind her, and danced her fingers over the weather worn stone. 

She was going to leave this all behind her, the looks, sighs, and light touches. Charlotte looked out once more at the horizon, vowing to herself that though she would remember Sanditon it would be best to steel her heart and forget - 

“Miss Heywood - I hope I am not interrupting.” 

She didn’t need to turn around to see who it was, that was a voice she recognised anywhere; warm and deep, slightly husky from heaven only knows how many cigarettes. She felt like she was going to burst, but took a deep breath, and then another, before turning to face him. 

Looking at him was even worse; a glorious heaven and a torturous hell. The depth of his eyes, the curve of his lips, the sweep of his shoulders, it was all too much. Charlotte stood there for an eternity just looking at him, her desire to capture him in her memory forever overriding her former convictions about forgetting him completely. How could she forget him, this man who now smiled at her shyly and yet confidently walked towards her. Mr Sidney Parker was a little mystery that she was constantly unpeeling, picking away at his exterior to the man underneath. A man who was kind and considerate. He was a man she knew she needed to forget lest her heart be utterly broken forever. 

“What brings you to the outdoors, Miss Heywood?” he asked casually, standing next to her to lean on the balustrade. 

He looked like some kind of Greek god with the sunlight giving its final kiss of the day to his skin. Its golden light cast a warm gold around him, as if he was the sole source of warmth on this earth, the very reason for life to thrive. 

Charlotte snapped her gaze to the gardens in front of her. Dear lord, she was falling into poetry and  clichés . 

“Are you alright Charlotte?” Sidney stood, turning to face her completely, his head leant down towards her’s as he spoke softly. His eyes were filled only with concern. 

Oh, how was she ever to forget this man? 

“I’m...” she began, licking her lips lightly as she struggled to find the right words. His eyes darted quickly to her lips and then back to her eyes. His jaw pulled as he fixed his gaze on her resolutely. “I’m quite well. Well - well in health, but-” 

“But?” he asked, frowning slightly. 

“I am quite sad about returning home,” she said, more so to his chest than to his face, “about leaving Sanditon, it has been,” she looked up at him again, meeting his eyes and hoping that she wouldn’t cry in front of him, “it has been the best time of my life.” 

“I’m sure this won’t be the last enjoyable summer you have,” he said with the edge of a chuckle in his voice, “you have plenty more ahead of you to experience.” 

“But nothing will compare to this summer at Sanditon” Charlotte sighed, turning to look up at the sky again. She was desperate to calm her heart and pulse, looking into his eyes for prolonged periods was not helping. 

“There will be more sunshine and salt water if you wish for it” Sidney replied, looking down at her, contemplating something deeply.

“Oh but it won’t be the same-” she glanced up at him and smiled, “I had never swam in the sea before coming to Sanditon, had never rowed a boat, had never been to London before.” He smiled at that, tilting his head to the right, closer to her.

“Sanditon has been a place filled with so many, just so many, wonderful things” she dared another look at him.

“Such as?” he asked, his voice low, almost a whisper that Charlotte had to step closer. 

“There were too many things to list” she replied, her voice also a whisper, not wishing to break the cocoon that wrapped them together. 

“I have some ideas” he replied as he lifted a finger and gently twirled a finger through a wayward curl, and then carefully pulled it back behind her ear. 

“Always so presumptuous” Charlotte replied, breathless. 

Sidney smiled in return, his hand still at her cheek, fingers gently brushed her cheek. He seemed unable to move as much as she, desperate to cling onto whatever this moment was, whatever the feeling bubbling in her chest was, whatever the reason that he swallowed slowly and Charlotte was transfixed by the movement of his throat, half hidden by his cravat. 

It was both fast and slow; the descent of his lips on her’s, the ascent of her lips on his. Her breath caught and his lips were on her’s, soft and gentle as they pressed down. His hand curved onto her cheek and pulled her close. His other hand skimmed her waist and then pressed onto her lower back, pushing her further into him.

Nervously Charlotte lifted her hands and glided them over the sides of his face before setting them at the base of his neck, her fingertips tickled his soft hair. He groaned in return and tightened his arms around her. 

They pulled each other closer, the kiss deepened. Charlotte wasn’t thinking she was only feeling; his hair, his skin, his lips, his heat. Sidney seemed to be chasing something within her and she was more than happy to come along, a deep heated need pooling within her to get closer and closer still. There was only Sidney, there was only him and her faster beating heart. Their breathing grew ragged, the kiss grew passionate, slipping from innocent peck into something deeper, something that teased and tormented the yearning in her soul. 

Soon they gently pulled apart, breathing heavily with flushed cheeks and full lips. He looked down at her with that small smile he always looked at her with. She felt his chest rise and fall against her own. Neither had stepped back. Carefully he took a curl and tucked it behind her ear again, before saying low and gently, “I think there will be plenty more summers in Sanditon Charlotte, if you wish.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all - I wrote this as if in a fever dream, my desire for some Sidney/Charlotte smooches driving me to pick up the pen (keyboard?) once more to bash out a scene in less than an hour (and then some time for editing but we won't linger on that...) 
> 
> The last episode (1x07) was a whirlwind of emotion that genuinely left me stressed and elated all at once. 
> 
> If we don't get an onscreen kiss before the season ends I will riot. 
> 
> (Also, credit where it is due, this scene is somewhat, distantly, inspired by the first kiss scene in Maya Rodale's 'Seducing Mr Knightly' - a 10/10 romance novel if you are in need of one)


End file.
